The Empress EMS Academy is pleased to announce the graduation of 27 students in its spring 2025 session. The South Academy held its ceremony on June 20 in Yonkers and the North Academy on July 7 in Poughkeepsie. These two groups of new EMTs are the second classes to graduate in 2025.
During the North graduation ceremony, Assistant Director of Education Dave Grass thanked the graduates for participating, and their loved ones for providing emotional support.
“We congratulate the cadets that have worked hard over the course of the last 11½ weeks. We are going to encourage them and support them as they go out into the field and start their internships as brand-new Emergency Medical Technicians, but we also celebrate how they got here, and that’s you and everything else,” Grass said.
He noted that the intensive course is challenging, and many of the participants were not expecting what they signed up for.
“Most of them came in wide-eyed and full of excitement — and then, in a couple of weeks, that excitement turned into, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ Even though we warned them on day one this is going to be a lot of work in a short period of time, most of them went ‘OK,’ blinked about twice, then realized ‘This is a lot of work in a short time.’ But each of them accepted the challenge and completed the program.”
More opportunities to learn
North Academy Instructor Sandra Wilson emphasized that being in the field will offer the graduates even more opportunities to learn.
“I taught you how to be an EMT — the skills. Now, you have to go out and figure out what kind of EMT you’re going to be. … People are going to show you different ways of doing things. I taught you by the book, but when you’re out in the field, you’re going to find a lot of times that the book goes out the window, and you have to compromise and figure things out, and that’s what I always liked about EMS, because no two calls were ever the same. You can have two chest pain calls, but they are completely different. I’m so happy for all of you starting your journeys, because I have the best people in my life from my EMS journey, and I hope you guys can form the same bonds like I have over the years.”
Grass encouraged the graduates to continue learning and challenging themselves as EMTs.
“Today is just the beginning of a journey. So remember, it took you almost 12 weeks to get where you are today — but your education, your learning, your experiences don’t stop today. Constantly challenge yourself to the next level of perfection, the next level of the best quality care that you can provide, because that’s exactly what the public expects of us. They expect that every single day, the newest, the brightest, and the most talented individuals are going to be the ones caring for them and their loved ones. Challenge yourselves to be that person every single day.
He also advised the graduates to remember the perspective of the patients calling for help.
“No one calls EMS when it’s their birthday and they’re having a great day. When do they call us? On the worst day of their life. They expect you to be the calm in the storm they are experiencing. So, remember compassion, remember why it is you started down this road.”
Graduates share their thoughts
Meaghan Boughton, who was named North Academy class valedictorian during the ceremony, said she had a family background in EMS work that drew her to this line of work.
“My father is a 911 dispatcher, so my family is in emergency services. I had uncles who were cops, detectives, so I really wanted to get into the field,” she said. “I just wanted to expand my career, so I decided to go into EMT. Right now, I’m just looking forward to getting out into the field and making more connections with the community.”
For fellow graduate Daniel Vulaj, it was something he decided to try when he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do — and then he discovered he enjoyed the work.
“I first joined because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and I got the opportunity. Somebody told me about it, and I thought it could be something I could do for a while as I figured out what I wanted to do,” he said. “As I started doing the class, I realized that I enjoy doing this, and my expectations are just to learn a lot more. We learned a lot in class, but I feel that when you’re on the road, it’s a lot different — more hands-on — a lot that we still have to practice on the road, and I’m excited to do what I learned to do in class.”
About the Empress EMS Academy
The EMS Academy is an intensive 12-week course held multiple times per year in Yonkers and Poughkeepsie. Students must be at least 19 years old, have a valid driver’s license and meet certain educational prerequisites to qualify. You can view the job description here.
Those accepted into the program are paid while being taught the skills needed to pass the New York State EMT Exam. They receive free access to a textbook, free uniforms and more. Once they graduate, they are asked to work as full-time EMTs with Empress for a year. Those who cannot keep this commitment are asked to reimburse Empress for the cost of tuition. With questions, email education@empressems.com or message empressems.com/contact-us
